Goodbyes and Progress

We have had a good week at home - it is always nice to be in familiar surroundings from time to time. Much of the snow and ice is gone and we sense that spring is near. We await sunlight and blue skies - darkness and gray, gloomy skies have been with us far too long! (Also, check our blog for new pics! http://www.caldwelltsamissions.blogspot.com/ )

Easter...May you have a blessed Easter! We do not celebrate for another month so you will hear about our traditions closer to our Easter.

Let the Farewells Begin...We have several foreigners (we call them expats) who are leaving us this year. Last Sunday evening, we farewelled the first couple. Mark Houston-Robb came in 1999 as a single man. This week, he returned to England but has a wife, Masha, and beautiful child who will join him as soon as he has employment. We will miss him! He was a steady volunteer of the homeless street feeding and assisted with projects. The visa process required him to leave. We farewell Majors Mike and Ruth Stannett at the end of April and they will be transferred to Czech Republic. With them we lose the Director of the New Hope Homeless Street program. This fall, we will farewell Simoneand Cliff Worthing and their two children who came to Moscow as employees in 2001. Cliff is a licensed counselor and has worked with Pastoral Care, Disaster Response, Fundraising, and Public Relations. Simone has been the Editor of our War Cry and Officer and presently works in Public Relations. We will also farewell Captains Glenand Julia Price with their son this fall. They were Youth and Children Officers for Russia and are presently working in THQ Resources. Lay Employees Neil and Svetlana Rudd will farewell with their two children this fall after four years of serving as Projects and Children Sponsorship staff. Over the years, Brad and I have seen a host of people farewell - we stopped counting around 40.

SA Visa Process is Moving ForwardMissionaries from other area churches are being required to leave because they are not part of a registered organization. Many churches will have their headquarters outside of Russia due to the new laws. The Salvation Army remains registered in Russia and we have work permits which allow us to get work visas; we continue to work on our registration for Moscow - keep praying!

Officer Refresher CourseThis week we will have nine of our longest serving officers in Moscow for a week of studies to update them. They will see many books and documents that have been recently published which were most likely not prepared for them to study when they were in training. We will review the O&R for Officers, Leadership Development, Senior Pastoral Care, Officer Competencies, Public Relations and the list goes on. They will also have several hours of study of the doctrines and hermeneutics. Brad and I do most of the teaching so it will be a busy week!

Lublino Corps Loses Building....As far as we know, the Lublino corps has always held their services in a local school gymnasium. Laws have made it difficult to do this but the principal has a warm heart for The Salvation Army and continued to allow the corps to meet. Nevertheless, it has become more and more challenging.....at times, the corps could not meet in the hall, other times, they could not wear their uniform. Then there were the guards who locked the door not allowing anyone to enter. When it was decided that they could no longer rent, it was time to find a new location but this has not been easy. Pray as they seek an answer to this situation!

Family UpdateCadets from Atlanta are serving this week in Guiana. Keep all of them including our son Justin in your prayers! Jason and family are doing well - Gracie Maye is rolling over, discovering the world. Jay remains a Nazarene youth pastor and attends college full time. Jaron is working part time for a theater press office doing publicity for the upcoming broadway show called "A Catered Affair" while finishing his final semester in college. This was an internship from last year that turned into a paid job this year.

Ginger Ale Arrives in Moscow!!!!Yes, for the first time in our EET history, we have seen, purchased, and tasted ginger ale right here in our own home in Moscow! We are still waiting on the Root Beer to show up. (smile) It is the little things...

Praises....1. St. Petersburg Salvation Army has the right to hire foreigners. This is good news!2. We are glad for a great group of cadets who are excited about their mission.3. We share in a great team of officers to work with on a daily basis.

Prayer Needs...1. Mission strategy meetings are taking place throughout the territory, searching for the direction our territory should take into the future. 2. Sunday one of our cadets was sent back to Moldova due to an acute kidney infection; another cadet is in Moldova recovering from pneumonia.3. Continue to pray for Russia - our soldiers, officers and the search for a new Divisional Commander. Their Mission Strategy meeting with the TC is this coming weekend.

Thank you for the cards and emails this week! We are watching all the moves taking place both in our home territory and around the world. May God bless our Army!